and many more benefits!

Find us on Facebook

GMAT Club Timer Informer

Hi GMATClubber!

Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:

Show Tags

I have given GMAT twice, both the time my score was appalling, Initially I was under prepared, and second time I was decently prepared but results reflected instead.

Based my analysis, I believe that, constant stress and strain of four hours and constant staring on computer screens leads to lapse in concentration.

This results into silly mistakes, over-reading and some delay in analysis.

I have faced these issues and trying to find some kind of solution on this. If anybody has faced similar issues or has any solution on this please do write back as it will be great help.

We all perform better on paper based tests instead of CATs. But the score difference should not be very much and with some practice, you should be able to overcome the problems. All GMAT practice tests are available online so that should give you lots of practice. Learn to make mental notes of info given in the question (or write down the important numbers). You need to befriend computers not just for the test but also for everything you will need to do in your MBA and work life. Studies show that people read paper books much faster than eBooks so everyone is facing that handicap which means everyone is on an equal footing. Try and study online as much as possible.
_________________

Show Tags

You bring up an excellent point, and one that often gets short shrift amongst the fray of strategies and tips. Simply put, staring at a screen for 4 hours fatigues most. Not sufficiently practicing on a computer screen can make test day even more stressful, as you pointed out. (Here is a helpful post that expands on this point: Overcoming GMAT Test Anxiety

The good news is you are not alone. The even better news (don't worry no bad news here , is that there are ways for you to improve your endurance for taking a CAT. Most notably, the GMATprep offers two on-line tests, which, since they created by GMAC itself, have the same granular, pixillated look of the actual GMAT CAT (not to mention the same deviously concocted questions ).

There are also other online tests out there, such as MGMAT 6-tests. Taking a test once a week should definitely help you become more accustomed to the screen.

Another avenue for honing your CAT skills is Magoosh. Our entire GMAT product is computer based. Indeed each questions comes with a clock, so you're not only getting the experience of solving questions on a computer screen, but are doing so under timed conditions. And our hours and hours of video lessons make learning in front of a computer almost second-nature .

Hope that helps, and good luck!
_________________

Christopher LeleMagoosh Test Prep

Last edited by ChrisLele on 30 Apr 2012, 11:11, edited 1 time in total.

Show Tags

Magoosh allows you to create your own mock tests, based on four different levels of difficulty. As of now, we don't have an actual computer adapted test. However our hundreds of practice questions lend themselves to a variety of different ways to construct mock exams, or just do regular practice questions.

In regards to this post, Magoosh will help improve one's ability to solve questions on a computer, which, in turn, will help one on the day of the actual GMAT CAT.
_________________

Show Tags

I have given GMAT twice, both the time my score was appalling, Initially I was under prepared, and second time I was decently prepared but results reflected instead.

Based my analysis, I believe that, constant stress and strain of four hours and constant staring on computer screens leads to lapse in concentration.

This results into silly mistakes, over-reading and some delay in analysis.

I have faced these issues and trying to find some kind of solution on this. If anybody has faced similar issues or has any solution on this please do write back as it will be great help.

We all perform better on paper based tests instead of CATs. But the score difference should not be very much and with some practice, you should be able to overcome the problems. All GMAT practice tests are available online so that should give you lots of practice. Learn to make mental notes of info given in the question (or write down the important numbers). You need to befriend computers not just for the test but also for everything you will need to do in your MBA and work life. Studies show that people read paper books much faster than eBooks so everyone is facing that handicap which means everyone is on an equal footing. Try and study online as much as possible.

Thanks Karishma for your suggestions, especially of the mental notes. Hope I do better this time. Thank You for writing..........